“Come on. We should try it on.” Aline tugged at her hand.
“Now?”
“Of course now!” Aline said in disbelief. “Besides, we should also get ready for the party tonight!”
“You should go. I have to meet up with some of the partners that just arrived. Ethan has been keeping them busy for me.”
“See? Now, come on! I have so much to do and so little time.”
*****
Jonathan stood in front of Sophie’s door, his hand suspended in mid-air, blocked somewhere in the middle of a knock. The hallway was empty, he was alone with his thoughts, well aware that behind that door was his future bride. In his mind, he was still going over the ideas he’d encountered as he tried to write his vows. While he had been in search of fancy words with which to impress the guests, he had found his true feelings.
He still felt the weight of the pen with which he had dodged down his vow. His fingers still sweaty and his heart still bruised from the amount of digging he had done through his soul. If he told anyone about it, they would call him a liar. There was no way a person couldn’t know how he felt. When you didn’t trust your heart, when you didn’t know how to listen to it, you ended up like him.
But the confusion was over. The waters had settled and the storm had passed. His soul was now at peace, his mind too, with only one clear goal in his mind. He needed to make things clear between Sophie and him. He had been waiting far too long. It was only then that he realized how much he had been playing with the girl’s feelings.
Sighing, his knuckles finally brushed over the door, the echo of his own knock loud and clear. He heard a voice invite him in–Sophie’s voice. For the first time in a while, he prayed for courage and guidance. He wished he would not cower away from what he had set his mind to. He would be damned if he made any promise to her in front of God without her knowing how he truly felt. The wedding was no longer a game to him, no longer a well-planned charade. It was real, and if she didn’t feel the same about him, he was more than ready to set her free.
He was done playing with her feelings. Ready as he was, there was also a matter of time. He needed to find the right opportunity to tell her. He couldn’t just waltz into her room and pour his heart out to her.
Of course, the moment he stepped inside, all those thoughts disappeared. There she stood, in a satin dress that swept the floor, with two thin straps across her shoulders. Her hair pulled up in a beautiful updo. She wore little makeup, her natural beauty radiating. Jonathan, once more, found himself at a loss for words, his mouth dry and lungs barely breathing.
“What do you think?” She asked, as she twirled, giving him a full view.
“I think Aline did a damn good job,” he whispered, unsure if she had heard him at all.
“Should I put on the earrings too? I think they’re a bit too much, but–” he could tell that she was nervous, her eyes said it all.
She fidgeted around, searching for the box with the earrings. She found them almost immediately, and she held one of them close to her ear, her eyes searching his for an answer. Jonathan would have shrugged, what did he know about fashion? His knowledge of it went as far as to say whether someone looked good or not. And Sophie was ravishing just the way she was.
“Just do whatever you want. People are here to congratulate us not to judge us,” he told her as he took a few steps closer to her. “Besides, you look amazing.”
The words had left his mouth before he even noticed, his hands having a mind of their own too. Just like always, he reacted upon instincts when he was around Sophie, his body neglecting the voice inside his mind.
He saw her suck in a breath, her eyes widening, her lips parting. His eyes traveled to her lips, as his hands rested on her hips. Their breaths were shallower now, the intoxicating scent of her perfume driving him crazy.
If it weren’t for all those people down there, he would have gladly ripped the dress apart and have her there and then. He may not have been able to do that, Aline would kill him for ruining Sophie’s look, but he was able to kiss her. Without as much as a warning, he pressed his lips to hers.
Sophie reacted to him almost immediately, her mouth moving with hers in sync. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. His own fingers dug into her waist, the soft material annoying him.
The kiss had been slow, but without tension to make his heartburn. His pulse was in his ear, like a constant buzzing sound, becoming louder with every passing second. Eventually she pulled away, but only slightly, their foreheads still resting on one another.
“Sophie, I should really tell you something.” he breathed out.
Sophie didn’t move or say anything, she waited for him to go on. And he would have, had it not been for the sudden knock. Jonathan groaned and pulled away, but not completely, one of his hands still resting on the small of her back.
“Come in,” Jonathan shouted.
In all honesty, Jonathan did not expect his mother to enter through the door. Jonathan’s eyes widened, unable to mask the shock.
“Mom?” For a second, he thought she was there because they were running late. If there was one thing she hated, it was to wait. But then, by the look on her face, he quickly realized that was not
it.
His mother didn’t look angry, but rather lost. He could relate to the look in her eyes. He hadn’t gazed into a mirror as he stood outside Sophie’s door, but if he had, he was more than sure he would have looked exactly like that.
It was then that Jonathan noticed something else, a little box in her hand. He remembered seeing the box around the house. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he could guess. He remembered seeing her cry over it, soon after his father’s death, her fingers constantly caressing the lid.
“What’s going on?” he asked, but his mother silenced him, her hand raising.
“I came here because I wanted to talk to you Sophie.” She gulped. “Of course, I’m glad you’re here too. I guess what I have to say concerns you both.”
By this point, Jonathan was worried. He had never seen his mother so emotional. She always knew what to say and when to say it, even when her husband had died she still managed to stand tall, almost unfazed.
“I know that I haven’t been the most supportive mother when it came to this marriage,” she began. Jonathan struggle not to interfere. “You can’t blame me for it. My son suddenly turns out to be on the front page of every magazine, he is married when I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend.” She nervously laughed.
“I know you are not telling me the truth. I may not have been the most present mom, Jonathan, but I know you well enough to know that.” Jonathan was about to protest but she shook her head, and he fell back into silence. “My point is, whatever it was, I don’t need to know. My job as a mother is not to know every aspect of my child’s life, but rather to make sure he is happy.
Sophie, I don’t care how you two came to get married, but I am glad you did.”
Jonathan wasn’t sure what was going on. But it seemed like his mother somehow confessed his love to her before he did. His own mother, the great and untouched Mrs. Hunter was actually accepting Sophie into the family.
It was in that second that Jonathan felt guilty. Not just for not telling her, but for not trusting her enough with the secret. He would have told her there and then, every little detail. But he thought it would be better not to. He knew his mother meant every single thing she had said, so he meant to take it all as a new beginning.
“Sophie, I’m sorry for everything I’ve said. I just thought it was all in Jonathan’s interest. I think that one day, when you become a mother, you’ll understand.” Sophie smiled.
“It’s all in the past now.” Her voice cracked, a few tears staining her green eyes.
“This is a box your father gave me when we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. He said that we should keep all our memories in it. And we did, for many more years to follow.” His mother was about to burst into tears as
she spoke. “I want you to have it now. Who knows, it may bring you good luck.” She shrugged as she laughed nervously, trying to clear the tears from her eyes.
Sophie slowly reached for the box, her hands trembling. Before anyone could process what was happening, she wrapped her hands around his arm, whispering a thank you, gently.
Never in his life did Jonathan feel so complete. Having both Sophie and his mom hug–the two most important women in his life were finally getting along. He was ecstatic. That night, his mother gave him the greatest gift ever. Courage.
If she could muster up enough of it and have the speech she just did, then he would be damned if he would cower out of confessing again.
Chapter 12
Sophie sat in her room, with her knees brought up to her chest and her eyes gazing into the distance. Her wedding gown draped from the chandelier, the layers of chiffon kept put by the ivory cover. She knew the dress was there, but she did not dare to look at it, or the shadows that played against its surface. There were too many things going through her mind, and looking at it was bound to make them worse.
Sophie buried her head in her hands as she tried to silence the voices in her head. She was thinking about her parents, her grandma and Jonathan, all at once. They each had their private conversation. And as if they weren’t enough, she now thoughts of Jonathan’s mother too.
Previously, she had felt nothing but anger for the woman. Now, that had all changed to guilt. The woman had let it all slide, and entrusted her son’s happiness to her. She swallowed her pride and apologized, thinking that Sophie was the key to Jonathan’s joy.
She looked at the box, her eyes following the beautiful pattern engraved on it. Memories, she had said. She had plenty of those, but what significance did they hold? Were they really the kind of memories Jonathan’s parents had shared?
Beside the box, was a paper holding her vows. She knew the words by heart, their weight heavy on her heart. Sprawling her emotions on a piece of paper had been so easy, why couldn’t it be like that in real life? Why couldn’t she just barge into his room and demand explanations, ask him if what she felt was completely absurd. But then again, she could.
That was the moment something clicked in her head. Her feet moved before she could think about it, her heart calm and steady for the first time. She was determined, motivation surging through her veins like cold water.
She was halfway through the door, when it suddenly opened. Sophie froze, her eyes wide, a little startled. She looked at the man standing there, his features prominent even in the dim light of the lampstand. He looked disheveled, his hair messy and eyes puffy with sleep.
For a couple of minutes, no one said anything. They just looked at one another, eyes wide open, the previous words Sophie meant to tell him were stuck in her throat. Eventually, he closed the door, his body getting closer, but not quite close enough.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
Sophie was about to tell him she was on her way to talk to him but stopped herself. There was no point in saying that, she would rather just nod and wait for him to say why he was there. She bit her lip and sat back on the edge of her bed, her eyes still on him.
“So, what brings you here? Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?” She chuckled.
“Not when the groom is going to confess his love for the first time.”
Sophie choked on her own breath, her heart stopping right that very second. She had heard the words, loud and clear, but her mind refused to understand them. The words echoed in her head, over and over, everything else disappearing around her.
“What?” she dared to ask, because in her mind, she had heard him wrong.
Jonathan had closed the space between them and lowered himself beside her, his knees bent beneath him. His eyes were boring into hers, as if searching her very soul, the touch of his hand on hers electrifying.
Sophie sucked in a breath and her lips parted. She was almost sure she had something to say, but just couldn’t remember what. All words seemed to vanish from her head, everything was blank.
“Sophie, I should have done this weeks ago, back when it all started–” Jonathan breathed out, his eyes never once leaving hers. “But I was a coward.”
Jonathan gulped and looked away for a second, but his gaze soon returned. He looked nervous, much like she was, beads of sweat resting on his forehead.
“Sophie, I don’t need to put this in fancy words, I love you. I have loved you for some time now. At first, I was confused, I didn’t even know what it was, but now it’s clear as day. I don’t know if you feel the same, but one thing is for sure.” He took in a deep breath. “If you don’t feel the same, I won’t push you into marrying me tomorrow. God, I will file for divorce as soon as possible and make sure to free you. I love you that much.”
Sophie wondered if anyone could die of joy. Out of that tingling sensation that could make you cry. She doubted that, because if anyone could, she would have been dead already. Sophie searched through her mind for the speech she had previously rehearsed, but it was gone in the rush of the moment. So, instead of bright words she simply kissed him.
Her lips locked onto his in a blur. She felt him move, respond to her in relief. Beneath his shirt, she could feel his heartbeat. It was rapid and uneven, much like hers. The kiss did not last long, she pulled away soon.
“Jonathan...” She trailed off, gulping down. “I love you too. That’s why I was up. I was on my way to tell you that.”
“Well, then I’m glad I did that first.” He chuckled as he stood up from the couch. “Now rest, tomorrow is a big day.” He sighed.
He was about to leave, he had his back to her, but before he could, Sophie called out his name.
Slowly, he turned again, his eyes questioning.
“Do you want to spend the night here?” she asked, her heart in her throat.
“I think we should rest.” He chuckled.
“I meant just to sleep.” She shook her head.
Jonathan smiled and pondered on the thought before he eventually nodded. Slowly, they crawled into bed together, their arms wrapped around one another. Her head was resting on his chest, the sound of his breath a lullaby. The voices in her head were now quiet.
“Good night,” he whispered, before kissing her head.
“Good night.”
*****
Jonathon waited by the altar, his hands behind his back. His heart was beating so fast, adrenaline surging through his blood. The day was beautiful, the sun was bright, its rays shimmering gold.
The place was amazing, the final touches had been added to the chapel’s garden that morning.
The crowd was a wave of whispers. Almost every partner he had ever had was there, business collaborators, allies and investors. They were all there to witness him tying the knot. In the far corner, there was a cameraman, who was distributing live images to whatever news post bought the credit. He was sure leaked images were already on the media. So, it was safe to say, things were going according to plan. Not that he cared anymore.
To him, the wedding was no longer about business, the stocks could go to hell. He would find a way to solve that problem. For now, he was getting married. To the woman he loved. Indeed, Sophie and he had barely had any time to get to know one another, still, Jonathan was more than sure she was the one. She would make him happy–no, she had made him happy. And all he could wish for was that he was able to do the same for her. Knowing her better only meant discovering insignificant details, he already knew enough to know she was a golden soul.
“Don’t be nervous. You already did this once,” Ethan whispered in his ear.
“Stop joking. I bet he’s so nervous he will punch us right here,” Sebastian added, a faint laugh playing on their lips.
“You just wait until your wedding,” was all Jonathan said.
“I’m afraid we have a lot of wait to get through.” Jonathan didn’t even get to react to what his uncle had said, his laugh
died before it had even escaped.
The sound of the bride's march started. The garden went silent, everyone turning to look at the women walking towards the altar. First, Sophie’s friends, the bride’s maids walked down the aisle, each holding an identical bouquet. They smiled at him, as if warning him of the impact the bride will have on him. As if he didn’t already know. Alina led the girls, she was upfront, her eyes never once leaving Sebastian’s.
And then, as if through a dream, Sophie appeared. Saying she looked breathtaking, would have been a lie. She was a vision, a muse sent just for him.
Her dress brushed against the ground, her veil trailing down her back and further behind. In her hand, she had a bouquet of lilies, gracious flowers that reminded him of her. Jonathan felt his heart stop.
She walked towards him with so much grace, not missing a beat. Her hair was down her back in curls, her lips a natural pink. Her makeup was natural, her natural beauty radiating from beneath.
Although she was still far, he could read the nerves in her eyes, matching his own.
Jonathan smiled and extended his hand to her, one she gladly took. The ceremony had started, but Jonathan was still lost in his own mind, captivated by the beauty beside him. He was so glad he had confessed the night before, that way, he truly enjoyed every second of the wedding.
To him, less than a blink of an eye had passed, but he found himself in the moment where he was to make his promises to Sophie. He pursed his lips and looked at her, his eyes meeting hers, their fingers interlocked.
“Sophie Turner, when we first met, our lives weren’t in the best of places. I was a mess. My whole purpose was this company. Although it remains a big part of who I am, it is no longer my entire existence.” Jonathan took in a deep breath. “You taught me that there is more to life than that. You showed me a part of myself I didn’t know existed. I know, deep in my heart, that God sent you especially for me. I can stay here and promise you things until the next sunrise. I can promise to cherish you, to protect you and to stay by your side no matter the storm. But, instead, I intend to show you. I, Jonathan Hunter, will be the shoulder on which you cry, the echo of your laughter and the guardian angel that lingers around you.”
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